⬜️Fun with Light & Shadow ⬛ Slightly Silly ❣ Yet Utterly Adorable °Excellent°
I've always said that if you aren't willing to at least risk being tacky, you won't have any fun.That's one of the themes of this show. The opening line is: "All Children Are Artists." As we see when the group later goes to an orphanage, the children take pure joy in expressing & sharing of themselves. They aren't worried about critics or reviews.
This show introduces us to Duk-mi. She's an energetic, hard working & passionate person who lives in Technicolor. A once aspiring artist, Duk-mi is now the curator of a privately owned museum. Her job is not ideal as she, along with her suggestions, are rarely respected. Duk-mi is not easily suppressed, though. She does her job with verve. She also has a secret life away from the museum. If found out, she would be fired. You see, Duk-mi …🥁🥁🥁… Is a "fan😍girl." {GASP!} Pop singer Si-an is the recipient of her affection, and she is not alone.
Fangirls are a sisterhood of women, ALL devoted to a star. Besides knowing ALL the music and ALL the useless trivia about their idol, to be a true fangirl, one must be at ALL the star's public appearances. This includes ALL airport arrivals and book signings, not just concerts. ALL this dedication is neither easy nor cheap. We watch Duk-mi go from the museum, straight to a Si-an appearance lugging a step ladder & 14 inches of zoom lens. From behind a black mask, she snaps her photos & heads home, where we see how deeply her obsession is etched onto her being. Her studio apt is a giant Si-an collage. It's jammed with every souvenir of which one could conceive - posters, dolls, the requisite cardboard cutout & even Si-an pillows... Even a water bottle, half full, that Si-an threw to the crowd once. (I said 'half full' out of habit. This water bottle is definitely half-empty!). It's basically the tackiest decorating ever - Even worse than Bette Mildler’s in Ruthless People.
We then meet Ryan (Conventional. Condescending. Cheerless). He's an artist turned lauded NYC critic. A mental block has severed him from his craft. He can dip a brush 🎨, but he can't touch it to the canvas. As a critic he isn't known to look at many pieces for more than 3 seconds (<1 sec is typical, 2+ could launch a new artist). He stopped creating art when a painting of 🫧 bubbles arrested his gaze. Believing it was Stendhal Syndrome ('When exposed to an incredible work of art, one may experience a rush of psychological symptoms.') he sees a psychiatrist. His therapy was going the way of his paint brushes, though: Nowhere. It's a mystery in the NYC art scene, as is the artist, Lee Sol, who brushed on those 🫧 that popped Ryan's career. Nobody seems to know anything about the painter.
The first time Duk-mi and Ryan meet is at an art auction in Shanghai. They fight over a painting. The painting is of 🫧soap bubbles🫧. Artist: Lee Sol.
Duk-mi knows that "her SI-AN" is a fan of Lee Sol's work. Every year, The Road To Si-an webpage pools money from fans to buy a big gift for the object of their adoration. Her boss thinks it's merely a work trip, but Duk-mi's real mission is to get that 🖼 for Si-an. She loses. She tries to talk Ryan into surrendering the painting to her. He looks at her like she's a lunatic. Fate is at work; these 2 have 2 other chance meetings, though they both don't put it all together until later.
Duk-mi's boss, the director/owner of the museum, is a garrish, overweening tyrant. She is played by the great Kim Sun-young, who's clearly having the time of her life in the role & in those preposterous outfits. She makes Duk-mi miserable. Fortunately, her husband is embroiled in a scandal, so she must step down temporarily.
You get one guess as to who the next director is.
They don't blend well.
That should adequately lay out the paints on the 🎨: Except for their overlapping love of art, Duk-mi & Ryan, a Korean adopted overseas, have opposite existences. They are compared & contrasted in visual ways. Dude's home is painted a deep Wedgwood blue. While it's a pretty color, when it covers 4 walls it only reflects his current bleakness. Taste aside, Duk-mi's room is vibrant. She's open, which is why she can feel art so intuitively. She's full of love and passion. Ryan is dried up like old paint.
Ryan becomes drawn-in by hearing Duk-mi talk about works of art. With admiring fondness, she seems to be able to scry an artist's thoughts & emotions. He becomes fascinated with her w/o realizing it or thinking about why. Fascination leads to close observation. (😱! Don't look behind the mask!) We can feel doom approaching. What will Ryan, who is from that snotty NYC art world, think if he ever discovers HPL?
Another theme is family & togetherness. Duk-mi's parents created a home where all are welcomed. Duk-mi's mother is, well, /motherly/. She wants to feed and love-on everybody that comes through their door. They even raised Eun-gi - from birth - for an overwhelmed single mother. He & Duk-mi consider themselves siblings. Fellow fangirl, Seon-joo, who runs the local coffee shop, is Thelma to Duk-mi's Louise. The office, Duk-mi's apt, the museum, the coffee shop, and her parents place are all frequent gathering spots. Duk-mi's life is shared with family, and friends-that-are-family.
Ryan's life is solitude. That's why he's angry when Duk-mi pokes around his place when he's not there. He seems to have no one.
The two seem to fall for eachother quickly, though it takes them a few eps to realize it. While the falling-in-love is usually the funnest thing in a romance, in the case of Duk-mi & Ryan, I found the series even more entertaining after they get together. The way they mix it up is sensational; their relationship is pure enjoyment. Duk-mi smiles with her whole being. She smiles a lot. At first it seemed overdone, but it's rather by design. She is the SUN that warms him back up. Art is all about light. Ryan couldn't step forward until he came out of the darkness. His first steps towards healing were in Duk-mi's direction.
There are mysteries to be solved, secrets to be revealed, and singers to love in the balance of the show.
HPL also sketched in some laughs. They have trouble with R-r-ryan's name, so they call him “Lion”. Eun-gi tells Da-ni that she'd be an annoying friend. She looks at him and says: "You're a good judge of character." We understand Duk-mi's obsessive side when we get a full look at her family home: It's genetic. The two protags are in a chess game over a notebook and the truth about Duk-mi, which is amusing. Generating laughter could be the trickiest art of all, and HPL sells it.
Poor Eun-gi. He's coming in 2nd again. He wins the silver medal (again) in scoring his gf. Duk-mi was just a primer, actually. He certainly has a type! In my ledger, Eun-gi‘s gf won: Eun-gi is arguably more attractive, & he's protective, loyal, appreciative, chill, great to hang out with, and... Well, did you /see/ that shower scene?? That actor probably has fangirls himself. Nuff of that...
While HPL is certainly silly, and completely adorable, romance-wise, it can also be profound. The following exchange is a free therapy session: Seon-joo's TV producer husband is pushed into doing an 'expose’ show on 'crazy' fans. He hides this from Seon-joo, and even secretly copies files from her computer. When she finds out, she could have foamed up milk with no machine. She was STEAMED. He tries to explain, with the most positive framing, all the good reasons why he made the show, including securing the transfer she had wanted him to get. Fangirl nails it. She might be silly, but she ain't dumb. She asks if it was all for /her/ sake then? He says no, he didn't "mean that..." She responds:
"Do you know what I really hate about you right now? If you've hurt me, you should just remain as the assailant. Why are you using me as an excuse to act like a victim? Do you expect me to understand and pity you in this situation?"
He replies that he shouldn't have waited to tell her, and he's not sure why he stalled with that. She comes back at him again:
"Do you want to know why you didn't tell me beforehand? It's because you didn't feel the need to. You knew I'd throw a fit later on, but you were simply going to escape that moment." In finishing, she informs him that he didn't talk to her because he was already determined to do it.
One of the excuses he used was that it was all for their son. Her response: "You used my precious family as a weapon to stab me, and {your son} as a shield to hide behind. It was a nasty and cowardly move."
Perhaps that exchange will be useful for your next relationship argument. She later says that 'in a relationship there are things that cannot be resolved with logic. This is a matter of emotion.' Well put.
There are disappointments: No big "reveal" to Si-an, we don't see the exposé show & leaving a child at the playground?! C'mon. They could have done plenty of things better, but the positives redeem it. It's good enough to hang in your gallery.
The most important takeaway from HPL is that a loving and caring family unit can do a lot of good. Duk-mi and her mother make numerous lives better. Duk-mi's mother gets the credit as she raised Duk-mi. We ran the “open house" in our neighborhood. We are close with many of the kids still, and we even Christmas with two of the brothers that were fixtures in our home for a few years. We can't go after everything we want AND love others. The two are exclusionary. The odd thing is that helping others is more fulfilling than going after everything we want.
Quote: In Korea, if you kiss and don't go out, they send you to jail.
Originally 〰️🖊 9/2021
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The main couple should do more projects together!
Little Geon Woo was the MVP of this drama. So freaking adorable! He stole all the scenes he was in.Also loved the friendship between Duk Mi and Seon Joo. It was very genuine and realistic. At times I wanted to fangirl with them.
Besides that, this was another typical romance with some twists thrown in to tug at your heartstrings.
Good OST, great chemistry, quite a bit of physical affection between the leads and a nice enough story to keep my interest (and one of the BEST kissing scenes I've ever seen in a k-drama).
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Muito fofo
Este drama é o cumulo da fofura. Eu me senti tão bem enquanto assistia, os personagens são fofos, o romance é incrível. O drama é repleto de tramas e personagens interessantes. Eu adorei os personagens secundários, principalmente a Sindy, no inicio eu odiava, mas depois de um tempo eu comecei a realmente gostar dela. Apesar de amar a Sindy, eu não posso dizer o mesmo sobre a mãe dela, eu ODEIO ela. Ela me tira do sério e me enlouquece, o jeito excessivamente calmo e lento com que ela fala me irritou demais. O casal é incrível e sem igual. Enfim, um romance muito fofo que vale a pena assistir.Was this review helpful to you?
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It's Ryan not Lion
This was a fun little drama. Somethings were overdone like the bitchy boss and childhood storyline but other than that the romance storyline really overpowered all my complains.The main reason I watched it when it came out because of the fangirl summary and back then me being a huge fan of certain idol group lol. So to me, Dukmi was highly relatable with her full time job and still continuing her fangirling.
At the beginning they portrait Ryan as this rude full of himself guy but when the show progressed and we see how Ryan was really just a polite, charming absolute softie you cannot help but fall for him.
Both Dukmi and Ryan start out with misunderstanding to then become colleagues and then start a fake relationship which spirals and as we all know the trope they end up falling for each other.
Would watch this again 100%
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Sexy Mature Relationship
Very well done. This was a fun series that had its twists and turns. The different art curator/k-pop fan element. felt fresh. Both ML (Kim Jae Wook) and FL (Park Min-Young) did a very good job in feeling relatable and believable within various situations. The roller-coaster of emotions with this series just kept coming. However, I must admit that they did not feel forced. You could see and feel the natural progression with the ML and FL and it made you root for them all the way through. The supporting cast was very good, and I appreciate that their storylines did not override the main. OST was memorable. This is worth the rewatch!Was this review helpful to you?
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Started super strong ended up being boring with very crappy Korean drama trope
I think someone here mentioned this show should have ended at episode 14 I think he or she was right. Because they ramped up the drama when it wasn't neeed.His mom found him after years apart and because she had some accident and stuff that's where they should have stopped, we found out exactly what happened and there wasn't anything more needed to be added.
But of course, they had to add that his lover's mom was the one who dropped him at the adaption agency because she was having hard time with bills but there's more, of course the FL met the ML when they were little which means they were meant to be together and stuff.
I couldn't believe they had to throw that in there.
There was no need to add the FL mom was the one who dropped him at adaption agency and they knew each other as kids.
I'm tired of these shows that add random unnecessary drama. I was rolling my eyes and I also guessed it miles away too.
Last few episodes felt very exhausting to get through.
Everyone here is great though.
The FL lead is always nice to look that. She's very elegant and her acting skills are pretty good.
The ML is also good.
He got good chemistry with the FL
He's not boring and he got screen presence.
If they didn't do that lame trope at the last two episodes. It would have gotten better score.
I don't think I'd watch this again but since I do love the FL in what's wrong with secretary Kim. I've decided to give this one a try.
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? Fangirl Goals | ? Mature Romance | ? Legendary Kiss | ? Minimal Jealousy
Not gonna lie — after watching this drama, I fully decided I'd rather be a fangirl than someone’s girlfriend ?.This one is definitely on the hotter side of K-dramas, and their first kiss? OMG. Easily one of the best kisses in K-drama history. (And trust me, I’ve watched a lot in the past 6 years — I don’t say that lightly.)
If you're into mature romance, sizzling chemistry, and characters who actually communicate like adults, this one’s for you. Also, props to the writers for dedicating only like 30–45 minutes to the usual “stupid jealousy” trope — we love efficiency.
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The acting, characters, and the chemistry between the two leads is where the show really shines. In fact, the acting was so good that it made the not so interesting parts easier to swallow. Her Private Life also has really likeable characters, I can't think of one character that I thought was poorly written/developed or was just irritating.
And well, the chemistry between Park Min-young and Kim Jae-wook felt so natural and right that they made it seem so effortless, almost as if they weren't really acting.
Her Private Life gets a solid 7.5. The story unfortunately gradually gets weaker and harder to like but the acting, which is simply amazing, and the chemistry between the two leads is so strong, it makes HPL rather enjoyable.
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Wonderful show which flopped its' ending
If you have seen your fair share of rom-coms, this is going to feel very typical especially in the first episode, while they're establishing the characters well. With all that said, there is magic in the script: I feel like the writers want to say about fandom culture or they at least want to touch on it because they represent the fandom culture not only positively, that it's a community, it's a way to bond with people in a way to support the artists you love, but also some of the negative sides which is obsessive tendencies and how those can lead to crossing the line and becoming a stalker. I really love how the writers are balancing the whole fandom culture exploring many different facets of it.The show's big problem that really turned me off was near the end when the show started to focus primarily on the male lead's past and how that connects in such a dramatic way with the female lead. I thought the writers of the show really lost sight of what the show was about and I was hoping the show should have focused more on the fandom side of things because, in the end, the fact that she is a super fan doesn't contribute a lot to the main story, and I was quite disappointed because the portrayal of fandom culture and a commentary on fandom culture part is the thing that I was very excited to watch.
Overall, I really enjoyed Her Private Life, I think it has many wonderful qualities loved the characters, and I love the interactions between the characters. The romance is incredibly mature and I love how they support each other, it is wonderful. All the leads and the side characters, everybody is perfectly cast and doing a wonderful job. The leads have such strong chemistry together. This is a show you could very happily binge or at least I was very happy to binge.
I would recommend Her Private Life to you if you like shows like What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. They both have the same female lead, and she's great in both of them as well as The Liar and His Lover or Touch Your Heart. So if you liked any of those three shows I would give this one a chance.
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Fangirling Over Ryan Gold
I had gotten very tired of hyped rom-coms that had leads in their late twenties or thirties acting like teens and dead fish kissing scenes. I heard this was a more mature romance and I was not disappointed.Park Min-Young seems to have amazing chemistry with every actor she’s paired with, but her chemistry with Kim Jae-wook was really next level. The chemistry between the two of them paired with a fake dating trope? Forget it, I’m in.
The absolute main reason to watch this show is because of the male lead, Ryan Gold. Ryan was such a green flag and he was written in a way that went against so many drama stereotypes. There were many times where I expected him to get angry about a situation, and if it had been any other kdrama, it would have led to a miscommunication that lasted multiple episodes and probably also an unnecessary breakup. Instead, Ryan and Deok-mi communicated so beautifully with each other. The fights they did have were portrayed in such a healthy way and ended with them laughing and/or kissing. I think miscommunication is such an overplayed and boring trope a lot of the time and I loved seeing this show do things so differently.
I loved Kim Jae-wook’s portrayal as Ryan. He was so attractive and I loved that from the very beginning he was protective of Deok-mi, even if he had a completely wrong read of the situation. The way he was delighted by her fangirling and impressed by pretty much everything about her was so cute. The real first kiss scene was one of the best I have seen and they had many others that were just as good! I loved that the main couple was so playful and affectionate. I think the show did a great job portraying a realistic relationship for people in their thirties.
I think Shi-Ahn was actually adorable. I saw the twist coming, but I do wish that they had built it up a little better.
This show was well on its way to being in my top ten based on the main couple, but I did end up having a couple of gripes with it. I think basically everything with Eun-gi was poorly done. I hate a love triangle where one person has just no shot but tries to force it anyway. I think it was weird that he had those feelings in the first place and he definitely should’ve kept them to himself. I appreciated how unbothered Ryan was by their relationship and he fully trusted Deok-mi, but that whole plot was not needed.
The big reveal at the end of what had happened to Ryan and his connection to Deok-mi was also a major weak spot in the series. It didn’t make much sense and also added a layer of drama and mystery that this show didn’t need. The show also really took it easy on some of the darker aspects of fan culture. Deok-mi being so understanding of the people who stalked, assaulted, and doxxed her felt really unrealistic.
All that being said, I had so much fun with this drama. The leads had me giggling and kicking my feet. I want to see Kim Jae-wook in more rom coms for sure.
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PROPER apologies
That's all I have to say in order to explain why I am writing this review, as I found the main plot to be lacking and rather cliché. I would not have finished this drama if it wasn't for the main leads and their chemistry. With proper apologies, I mean that the main couple acknowledges their wrongdoings and own up to them immediately, which is something you rarely see in other series. Especially not when it comes to the male lead, which really made this one grow on me. It's almost as if dramas nowadays normalize the idea that guys shouldn't admit that they say/do things wrong which is more than bothersome. And I am not talking about just saying one's sorry, I am talking about actually explaining why as well. This was indeed something refreshing and something that proved that dramas can have mature couples with amazing chemisty.This drama is basically centered around the couple and it doesn't have much of a story to it. But the maturity and all of the adorable moments does make it worth watching solely for the romance. I have to admit that I did skim through the last few episodes because even their relationship got me bored since I was losing interest, but I would recommend this to anyone who is just looking for a drama with a cute romance. I also have to appreciate how the male lead was so accepting of the female lead. Cheers.
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Just another fluffy rom-com though the beginning was strong
Her Private Life seemed unique in the beginning. The pros of this drama would be that the leads were mature and had great communication. They didn't fight for petty reasons and always cleared up misunderstandings. They were calm and collected and always apologized if at fault and never repeated the mistake. Fangirling was normalized even for older women which removed stigma around it. I would have liked it better if they address the issue of sasaengs or obsessive stalker fans. The ending ruined it for me. The childhood connection trope is the most overused thing in kdramas and I hate it unless it's done in a convincing way. The last couple of episodes are a total waste in my opinion. There isn't any real conflict in the story. I liked the side characters and their stories. In short, Her Private Life starts of on a fresh note. It seems as if the storyline is unique and has some nice features. But soon its mask comes off and it's just the ordinary rom-com.Was this review helpful to you?
